Characteristics of Autism by Age
Observable at 6-12 months
Poor eye contact
Passive in social interactions
Little facial expression, smiling and/or emotional control when interacting with others
Delayed babbling, infrequent vocalization, and decreased object manipulation
Abnormal movements, little variety of movement in exploring new objects, poor muscle tone and motor coordination
Girls gaze longer at faces than mechanical mobiles
Observable at 9-14 months
Infrequent or delayed response when name is called
Infrequent monitoring of the direction of other’s gaze
Infrequent response to others’ pointing gestures
Infrequent attempts to point out or show objects of interest
Infrequent smiling at others paired with eye contact
Low variety of speech sounds and gestures during communication attempts
Delayed language development
Low variety of actions on toys
Infrequent vocalization paired with eye contact
Repetitive behaviors and interests
Unusual sensory responses, such as being unable to tolerate the feel of grass on bare feet
Observable at 20-24 months
Infrequent imitation of others’ actions
Minimal display of interest in other children
Infrequent attempts to share with others
Limited range of facial expression
Infrequent offering of comfort to others
Low variety of words produced
Repetitive behaviors
Restricted interests
Unusual sensory response
Article by Nanaz Pirnia, Ph.D
